Non-Contact Thermophysical Property Measurements of High-Temperature Corium Through Aerodynamic Levitation

Yaopeng Gong (), Li Zhang, Yidan Yuan () and Weimin Ma
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Yaopeng Gong: CNNC Key Laboratory for Severe Accident Research in Nuclear Power Safety, China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing 100840, China
Li Zhang: CNNC Key Laboratory for Severe Accident Research in Nuclear Power Safety, China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing 100840, China
Yidan Yuan: CNNC Key Laboratory for Severe Accident Research in Nuclear Power Safety, China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing 100840, China
Weimin Ma: Division of Nuclear Power Safety, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: The thermophysical properties of corium are critical for improving the predictive accuracy of severe accident analysis codes. However, due to the high melting temperature and high volatility of corium, thermophysical property measurements are extremely challenging, resulting in a significant lack of data. This study presents a non-contact measurement facility based on the aerodynamic levitation technique, enabling the measurement of the density, surface tension, and viscosity of corium components at temperatures exceeding 3000 K. Density is measured based on the axisymmetric ellipsoid assumption of levitated drops, while the surface tension and viscosity are determined using the drop oscillation method. Experimental results for key corium components, including ZrO 2 and a UO 2 -ZrO 2 mixture, are presented, addressing data gaps in the thermophysical properties of UO 2 -containing materials.

Keywords: corium; thermophysical property; aerodynamic levitation; high temperature (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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